Cooler?

It seems cooler this evening. It is only 86º.....and there is a nice breeze. We are slowly.....very slowly getting to meet with some of the members. It is harder to meet with the men because so many speak Creole and no English. I get real upset with “down” time. I think we ought to be trying to meet with people all the time. I feel especially bad because the elders have people to teach all over the island and they don’t have a car. We have access to a car and it seems it sits a lot.

We went to try and find two people who Lex Olerenshaw told us to contact. One was not interested but said she might be willing to come and teach a basic class on genealogy. She is not a member but works on the church genealogy web page. She is a genealogy buff and had such a hard time finding names for people on the island. But it started her actually working to put names in. (Spirit of Elijah!)

We took Claude to the Bishopric meeting tonight. We like him so much. He always has questions. He loves the church and wants to do everything right. We are taking the missionaries over to Claude’s friend’s house tomorrow. He would like to go to church Sunday....but he needs a ride. Hopefully, some time soon, more will be able to help with rides.

OK....MIKE.... There is this little gray, stray, cat. (There are stray cats all over the island.) I guess some neighbors, who left, were feeding it. I told him about the cat and he said, “We can’t feed one cat or there will be cats all over expecting to be fed.” I said nothing. OK, Stop the story! I know anyone who knows Mike will know what happens next. The next night there was a small bowl of milk out on the deck, the gray cat eating with great joy. The next hour, Mike runs to the store to get food. We put one bowl out and a little calico comes begging, to which Mike runs for another bowl. Well this AM there is a new black cat on the deck and there are three bowls of food. I am sure they will tell all their friends. I asked Mike what we would do if more came. He just smirked. Fridaynight.....Update....there were 7 cats feeding on our back deck this evening.

Mike had a Branch Presidency Meeting tonight. Mike was teaching them about agendas. One of the men stopped and said, “You are my father. You are my teacher.” The first day we were here, the same man told Mike that they had been praying for us to come before we ever heard about the Turks and Caicos Islands. We have felt loved and appreciated before they even knew us.

I was talking to a few non-member ladies about coming to church. One of them said, “Do you want me to come to your church every Sunday?” I said, “Yes, every Sunday.” She said, “ OK, then I will. I want to go to a church where somebody cares about me.” (We will see if she really comes.) I think that is the way with so many of us in this world. We want to be where people care about us.

Good Day

This huge crab was walking across our road. Mike put his hand by it just to show how large it was.
Teencie and Sonja invited us to eat. They are sisters. Tencie on the left is the Relief Society President and Sonja is the Primary President.

Elders The elders were eating at a cafe a few days ago, when a member couple from Utah talked to them. The couple wanted to do something nice for them so they bought them a $100 gift certificate at this hamburger place where they were eating called the Salt Mills. The elders were ecstatic as they do not get fed much and they really like this place. So today they went to eat there to use part of the gift certificate, and much to their chagrin, the waitress told them they had to use the whole thing at one time. They called us on the phone and asked us if we wanted to come over and eat on them, as they had to use the $100 all at this meal. Elder Herbert was not feeling well and I had just eaten so we opted out of eating on their ticket. We gave them some other ideas and let them deal with it. A while later I called about another matter and they were still at the restaurant. We went over to where they were to see if we could help them in any way. We laughed and laughed because they had ordered all $100 worth of food. They were both sick. They finally got their last order of two pizzas to go and we took them home, bikes and all. They are coming over for dinner tomorrow and we are having the two pizzas. They don’t have a microwave, they could not imagine how to eat them with no microwave. They really are becoming like our children. Elder Herbert was pretty upset with the cafe....because that was clearly not the intent of the nice LDS couple that bought them the gift certificate. These are the things you laugh about for years.

We went to visit three inactive members today. There is no way to describe their living conditions. They were so happy to see us and so kind. They all said they really wanted to come to church but they do not have a way. Two of the three do not have jobs and a Chit-nee (taxi) costs $3.00 each way, which adds up to a lot of money for them. We ache for them and know they are sincere. Part of what we all need to learn is faith. We teach them that they must pray diligently, with faith, for answers to these problems. I believe that our Heavenly Father opens doors for His faithful and He wants them to be successful. Tithing is a major issue for so many here. Malichi teaches them that Heavenly Father wants to bless them, but they must exercise the faith to do His will. It is so much to ask, but necessary for them to find a way out of the problems they now face.

Hot Mike was not feeling good today. I think it is the heat. It really does wear on us Alaskans who are used to a little cooler weather. I hope he wakes up feeling better. Poor guy. I think he is losing weight. I seem to be able to eat just fine....no problems there. We have quit walking because even so early, it is just too hot. The elders reminded me today that this is a nice fall day. When I responded that I could not wait for winter, they reminded me that I would not notice much difference. You might be interested in knowing that we are not eating much ice cream even though I love it so. Our little tiny freezer can not keep it frozen hard and it just doesn’t taste quite as good as I remember. Banana popsicles have become our new best friends.

Another baptism today Watson is a great guy. Just want to come to church with his friend, and was ready instantly. He is really a jewel. We went over to his house yesterday so Mike could do a baptism interview. We met with several neighbors that would be open to teaching. Good people everywhere we go.

Fabian

Institute tonight! Fabian was there! We were all so excited. Last night we had come home so discourage because Fabian had been picked up by immigration authorities while walking home for lunch. I wrote in my journal about him and how we prayed for his safety and hoped he was at peace whatever was happening to him. He has a wife and family in Haiti and I was thinking this might be the Lord’s will that he go home. But he had just gotten a job and things were looking up for him here, so we were all bummed that he was leaving. And there he was tonight! Immigration kept him over night and then told him to go home. I wonder if they just did not want to process him....or if they were just tired, in a good mood, or were inspired. Whatever the case, he was back and so happy. He is a good man and we all rejoiced to have him back. It is amazing to see the world from such a different perspective. I have always thought we needed to be more careful with our borders in the United States. Here I have such a different view of the situation here. We feel so at home with these people.

English.....The institute teacher was a little late tonight so Mike and I worked with them teaching them English. We went over “I am a Child of God”, reading and singing it several times. Then we taught them several commands, like “Stand up, Sit down, Hop, Raise your right hand,” etc. Then we started to play Simon Says. It was fun. The men really enjoy all the interaction. President Graff does not want us to teach an English class per say....but he said we could work with them on English scriptures and songs. He feels they will learn better that way anyway. So we are going to take a few minutes before family night and institute each week and work with them on some basics. It helped me to have taken my Spanish class. It gives me ideas to use.

Kids. We talked to all the kids for just a few minutes tonight. It made us homesick. They all sounded wonderful and happy. Skype is amazing. It was really funny though because we had better reception talking so far away than we did when we tried Skype in the States.

Island Time We still do not have a phone in the house, which means we do not have the internet. We laughed about “Mormon Standard Time,” which means a little late. Island time is MUCH worse. If we say we will be at someone’s home to teach them at a certain time, it means nothing to them. This man asked us if we could give him a ride home from the church when he was finished with his job there. We went over and waited and he was not ready for two hours. Totally different concept of time!

Elder Davies, Jean
Augustine, Elder Figueora Alot of the guys there to recieve the priesthood.

Institute. Fabian is in the second row with the blue t-shirt.

Depressed

I know I can’t have the spirit when I am depressed.



Claude and his family are being kicked out of their home. He is only one of a whole subdivision. The land is technically government property.. The man who sold it to the many Haitians so many years ago did not own it. These people bought the property and have a paper to prove it. The government has known they were building for years...and just let them build. Now they are telling them to get out. They are coming with bulldozers and knocking down everything they own. How is this possible? What will become of them? Because many of them are really illegally here, they will offer to pay for a one way ticket back to Haiti. These are people who have worked and worked and spent thousands of dollars to have something they thought was their own. When the economy was good, they needed them here to do all the jobs that were here. Now the economy is horrible and they want them to go home.



We had (Tuesday night) family night planned and no one came so we closed up everything and headed home. It rained really hard today. I think that is why no one came. Last week there were about 20 people there, so we thought at least a few would show up.



Kesner came just as we were in our car leaving for home. He had just gotten off work and came as fast as he could. We took Kesner home. He is 24 years old, was baptized within the last six months, and was just made an elder. He works for Business Solutions.....an office supply store. He gets $200 a week. He works all the hours they need him and lives there as the guard at night. He has no where to go to the bathroom or take a shower. His parents live in Haiti and he sends much of what he makes home to them.



Mike and I are having a very hard time. I hope we make it.



I think the devil is not going to sit around and do nothing when so many are getting the priesthood and building the kingdom.

Lovin' The People

I already love these people, but the problems are so overwhelming.

We had another baptism this morning and it was wonderful. We have another one tomorrow after church. Most of the people are so humble and try so hard. The problem is not baptizing them here. The problem is keeping them. Now we have 23 people to which we need to teach the new member discussions. It is an overwhelming task because none or very few of them speak English. Even that would not be so hard but they do not have transportation, jobs, and often the will to be at all their meetings. To gather them to teach them with a translator is a super human feat. There is no physical way we can take them all to church. We are not like other churches that have busses that will pick them up and take them around. We are a church of sacrifice and commitment. Yet when they are so needy and so young in the church, how can they give all that is required? Often in the states we take baby steps with converts. Here we ask giant strides and then more. I have to speak tomorrow in church and that is what I am going to tell them. The blessings of their super human effort will be seen in years and generations to come. We spoke to one young man the other day who has been less active. He was crying in our meeting and all I could tell his was not to give up. We who have so much are asking him who has so little...............

The mission president was here for the afternoon yesterday. He interviewed about 16 people. Tomorrow in Priesthood meeting, Mike will ordain 9 men to the Melchizedek Priesthood. Can you believe that? When was the last time you had 9 men ordained in one branch of about 60 people. One year ago, there were a group of about 5 people who were praying for one priesthood member to come so they could have the sacrament. Now we have a branch with 60 members and all this priesthood.

Mike and I taught a lady today who wants to be baptized. (She asked that we be the ones to teach her). What a privilege. However she knows so little and I worry for her. (When I was finished with the lesson she told me how she prays in tongues when she prays). So much to learn. Her husband has only been a member for a few months and serves as the clerk in the branch. He is so faithful and works hard. However he does not have a job or transportation. So for him to come to church we need to go 3 or 4 miles one way to pick him up and then go back to the church several miles the other way. Tomorrow we will pick him up for early meetings and then I will go back and pick her up along with other investigators. But there are probably 20 more who have the same problem. He told us today during our lesson that his dream is to take his wife to the temple. Please pray for these people that they will have the vision of who they are and what they can be.


Another complication is that the elders need the car as much as we do. Their bikes are broken and they have to teach all over the island. Gas is $4.42 a gallon and we have had to fill the tank 3 times in the last week. I know we can not keep this up, but how do we stop?

Still we feel we are seeing great progress in the work.

On a lighter note.... I was reaching for a paper towel last night and a HUGE cockroach was crawling on my hand. I screamed and told MIke to come and take care of it. He has laughed at me all day. I don’t mind the cute little geckos or even the bugs....but they cant jump out at me and scare me to death. There was a dead scorpion in our little scorpion trap last night. It has been 88 degrees all day today. I am going to melt!

Love you all!
Elder and Sister Herbert

PS We are lucky to serve in one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
Hoorah for Israel !

Ants

Frustration! We have so much to do but are getting none of it done. Why? I hope we can figure out our calling. We have here one week. Should that not be enough time to begin to figure out who to see and where to go.

Work Permits. They have been approved. Yea! However there is no official Immigration board, so they can not be finished. Since the UK took over the government a few months ago, they have not appointed people for the immigration board. If it happens, we should get work permits soon. The elders have been here 3 months and do not have theirs either. Everyone has been so polite to us. No one has questioned our being here.

Primary School. Across the street from the church is an elementary school called Ianthe (pronounced I-an-the) Primary School. We went over there yesterday to volunteer our time. The acting principal was so excited to see us. We sat down in her office and she said, seeing our name tags, “So you are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. What do you believe?” We gave her a one minute lesson about he apostasy and about Joseph Smith. That was good with her and then she started telling us all we could do. It was interesting the difference between here and home. First of all they would insist at home that we take our name tags off because no one would want us influence the kids. Here the principle started off with a religious discussion. The local people and the Haitian people seem to be very religious. She wants us to work with girl scouts and Cub Scouts. Of course there is no budget and no materials. We have to get permission from President Graff, but then we may start soon.

Ants. All over the place.

My cute neighbor, Carole, made me a solution with sugar and borax. The ants are attracted to the sugar, come by the droves and take it back to the nest. The borax then kills them. It seems to work for a few days, then I need to put more out. They will be gone from one area and then come back in another. Learning new things every day.

This is Carol. She is my neighbor from Canada. She has been so kind to us. We love her and her husband Bob

Well and Happy

Everyday a new experience We are well and happy. I am tired tonight. We left for meetings at 5 PM and got home at 9:30. Much of that time is driving, driving, driving. There are so many here who would like to come to meetings but do not have rides. The branch clerk lives about 8 miles from the church....about 5 miles from us. He can’t come if he does not have a ride. There are illegal taxis that will drive people around for $3.00. They are broken down jalopies, with no insurance, no rules. They are called Jitneys.

The mission president called twice today to find out some information about the missionaries. He expects them to ride their bikes around but their bikes are broken. The bikes are really junk. They were brand new bikes but the first days the elders rode them they literally began to fall apart. They have had some new parts on order but everything takes forever here. So we have been driving them around. We paid $60 for the first tank of gas, $58 for the second tank,and the car needs to be filled up again tomorrow. And we have not been here a week yet. So the elders are going to have to take the chalpies too as we get busier and need to be other places.

One thing we are trying to do is meet with the new members to give them the lessons they still need. We used to call them the new member lessons, but now it is the review of the “Preach My Gospel” lessons along with a fifth lesson they have not had yet. There are 22 people we need to give lessons. The only problem is that most of them only speak Creole. We met with some English speakers tonight to see of we could use them to help translate. Those that speak English are the leaders of the branch. Some of them work....which is the best....but some do not. Those that do not work, we use all the time to translate. We really need people here who speak Creole

This is a picture of Helince and Lemorin. They both joined the church in Haiti and have very strong testimonies. They are both leaders in the branch. They both speak English and help us translate.

This is Charles. He was the first one baptized after we came. First one we got to teach before he was baptized. Great kid. 19 years old.



View from the big house. We live in the cottage.

Cell Phone Number

Hi guys,

We are well and doing just fine. However,

we are still trying to get a phone and internet at our residence. That kind of thing seems to take forever here. Just in case of an emergency, our cell phone number is (Blah Blah... removed for privacy... ha ha!). But, beware...it is very expensive to call. You can use Skype and call from your computer to that number too and if the connections will stay up that should work. Just put the number into the Skype mailbox and it should not be difficult to get it to work. Hopefully we will have internet this week.....but one never knows.

We are enjoying P day. We are going to a real pirate cave and look for souvenirs.

We went for a walk on the beach this AM. The sand was snow white and the water was crystal clear. Too hot for me though....even at 7 AM.

Dad looks at your pictures and cries every day.

We love you so much.

Mom and Dad

Hello From Turks and Caicos

Dear Stephanie and all,
Thank you so much for helping me get back on the mailing list. I felt
lost for a while. We are here and doing well.

I will be sending parts of my journal often. Please delete all that
is boring. I am not an excellent writer so just read what sounds
fun. Love to you all.
Elder and Sister Herbert

Well we are here. Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. Elder Figueroa
and Davies picked us up at the airport. They were so helpful and
kind. The airline could not find part of our luggage, and frankly we
were scared because we had heard terrible stories. I guess the
baggage guys had just dropped it outside, because they found it after
we had filled out all the paperwork. We were so grateful, Another
thing to be thankful for...... The elders are trying not to cry
because the car they have been using, they now have to turn over to
us. Their bikes are broken and they really have no way to get around
the island. (One time they walked 11 miles because they were out of
money for gas and their bikes were broken, and they had appointments,
and the mission president got mad at them because he said they should
have called and got more money on their card from him.) Poor guys,
they can’t win. The island is about 11 miles long and they teach all
over the island. We will need to work closely with them and help them
get around.

The cottage is really nice. It reminds me of a little cottage in a
princess story, or a small rental if you were going to the beach for a
week. It is really cute. The bedroom is divided from the family room
by a half, 3 foot wall. There is a small bathroom off the bedroom.
There is a small fridge, full sized stove, even a microwave. (Where
is my Bosh?) We walk outside, down the stairs and into a little
storage type room where there is a washer and dryer. There is a guest
house right under ours.... attached. No one is there now. On the
same lot there is a larger house where a family will move in the first
of November. They have a small pool. We are up on a high point
looking over the town. The view from the veranda is amazing. We can
look out and see the turquoise water and white sands from three sides
of the house.

We went to the store on the way home from the airport and spent
$550.00. Then we came home a made a list that will cost us at least
another $500.00 The canned vegetables cost 3 times as much as in
Alaska. The towels were $9.99 each and they are the cheapest towels I
have ever seen...No never mind.....Diane, remember those towels we got
in Beijing, China? These are like those.

Tonight we went out to dinner with the missionaries, the branch
president and his wife, and another couple from the branch. They
were very kind and paid for our food. It was a very expensive place
so I’m glad they did. The Olorenshaws are a young couple from San
Francisco who have been coming to the island for four years. They are
an important part of the branch even though they don’t live here.
They have worked very hard to keep the records up. Because this is
such a new branch, no one knows or understands the importance of
records. They are excited to have Mike here. I know he wishes he had
paid more attention to the clerks job just as I wish I had worked more
in Relief Society.

They told us that there is such a stark difference in the branch.
The majority of the branch is Haitian illegals. They literally live
in the bushes...worse than our homeless people in Alaska. They have
nothing. Most of them used to have jobs but with the economy so bad,
lots have no money or way to support their families. Remember there
is no state welfare here.....so no one gets something for doing
nothing. The church welfare is so different here too. It will do
little the bare minimum, only enough to keep them alive. I will need
to learn more. (Will one of our jobs be to help those provide for
themselves?) We have so much to learn. A few are very wealthy and
live in the very expensive homes. I think this will be my biggest
challenge....how to deal with people who have nothing, how to enjoy
church with my brothers and sisters when they have not eaten, or have
means to feed their family. This will take a lot of inspiration to
know how to handle that. The mission president does not want the
missionaries to teach just the Haitians....because he does not want
the ward to be a Haitian branch, but mixed. Yet those are the
teachable and humble ones. They tell their friends and the
missionaries never need to tract because of the contacts. I am
excited to meet them.

Here we gooooooooooooooo!

We are at the Jamaica airport waiting for our flight to T&C. This is really turning into more of an adventure than I thought. We are glad we are not assigned here in Jamaica. It's like a wild west town here. And the driving is the craziest I've ever seen anywhere. I'm very glad our island is a bit more laid back. We have a big storm heading our way that is supposed to hit us on Saturday. We are taking a little plane from here to T&C instead of going back through Miami. This puddle jumper only allows each person to take 44 pounds of baggage. Mom and I each have 100 pounds .That means we had to pay almost $400 to get all our bags there. Luckily, the mission will reimburse us. Oh well...that's it from here for now.


Kiss and hug those babies for us....

Love,

Dad

We Are Off

Dear Kids,

We are leaving in the AM for Turks. We will NOT be going through Miami so I won't get to talk to any of you. I will write a letter soon and tell you all i know. We had a Senior Missionary meeting this AM. It was rough....not really. It is just that we learned more what we are up against. The poor mission president. Because there is no stake here, he is the ecclesiastical leader for the whole island of Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Bahama and the Turks and Caicos. He spends much of his time working with moral issues. He said in the three months he has been here he has met with over 300 people who needed to repent of moral issues. The mission president has had to send home several elders. It absolutely breaks my heart thinking of what those poor elders are in for the rest of their lives. He spends so much time with the members that his time to work with the missionaries is much less than he would like. He is tough. He has to be to do what is required. He told the missionaries yesterday, that he feels the mission is now ready to go forward because the poison in the field is cleaned up. It is a very heavy burden for him. He expects absolute obedience and accepts nothing less. He is quick to chew elders out and quick to accept their apologies. He is in touch with the general authorities and is exact in his obedience too.

I think it makes it easier for us to work when we know what to expect and he has been very direct with us. I know we are doing the Lord's work. I know the Lord has sent us here. Pray that we can all be equal to what is expected. I am thankful for this opportunity. Some of the senior missionaries have children with lots of problems. I am so thankful that you have good companions and your families are in order. I am so proud of you. You are our lives. We love you so much. Mom

Going to Turks

Hi guys....

Mom and I finished our last day of training here in Jamaica today. What an experience this has already proved to be. Tomorrow we get to see the island we have been assigned to for the first time...yahoo! I'm glad the we are not stationed here in Jamaica. As well as the humidity being unworldly, crime is rampant. We've been told there is basically no problem with crime on the Turks. Our mission president and his wife have been most gracious while we have been here. It feels as though we have known them for many years and been good friends for a long time...instead of just 3 days.
When we leave tomorrow, that may be the end of our emails with you until we find out what the set-up is on the island. We will be flying directly from Jamaica to Turks instead of going to Miami in between. So that means we won't be able to call like we were hoping to do. Just know that we are safe and well, and that we're excited to do the Lord's work. I love your mother so much. It is truly a blessing for me to be able to spend time with her during this adventure.
Please know that we love you all so much... and that we love our grandbabies that much too.

Bye for now...

Love,

Dad

We Are Here

It is 11PM and we have to get up at 6:30... but I just wanted to drop you a note to tell you we are safe and in Jamaica....88 degrees. I was planning on calling you all today and then again when we would be coming back through Miami next week. Now it looks like we will head straight to our island on Thursday. The information that we had to come back through Miami was incorrect so it looks like we go straight to Provodenciaies (I bet I messed up that speling) this Thursday. We will be going to a Zone conference tomorrow and then one Wednesday.... then some personal training from the Mission President on Wed afternoon before leaving the next day. The mission president and wife (President and Sister Graff) met us at the airport. We found lots of valuable information. It was great! Aimee, I see him as you explained your second mission president. He has sent several missionaries home and has several more that they are working with. He is working very hard to clean up the mission. I am glad we don't have to change mission presidents. He is very specific and direct, which will make it easier to work for. I am very happy. We went to customs in Jamiaca and you dad turned to me and said, "this was your idea!" I laughed and laughed. We are here for the duration.

I love you guys and pray for you more than you will know until you are away from your kids. I miss you all very much.

Mom

General Conference

Wasn't General Conference wonderful today? The speakers were amazing....saying just what I needed to hear....all about the love of the Savior and the connection between love and obedience. Everyday here at the MTC has been so enlightening and inspiring. It is hard to imagine that we are part of this great work. We want so much to be able to share the gospel with those people we are going to serve.

The MTC experience has been very exciting. Mike and I were forced....way out of our comfort zone....to teach several lessons together. The people we taught were member volunteers who came to our room, playing the roles of nonmembers. It was a very good learning experience, but also discomforting. The first experience was probably the hardest. The man who played the part was actually the most realistic. He professed to have some real issues with the church and many questions that we could not answer. When he left, I thought Mike and I should quit. The next three lessons taught were to very kind people who all made us feel like we could teach. We learned the most from the first...... I wish we could spend more time here...but that is only selfish. They gave us big challenges.

Tuesday night was the big missionary devotional. They say that every devotional is amazing and this one did not disappoint us. There are no cameras allowed in the auditorium, but I wish I could have taken my movie camera and captured the 2000 missionaries singing. I know that even then I could not have captured the spirit in that room. Stephen Nadauld (used to be part of the Seventies and also a mission president in Italy) spoke to us. He taught us the “Preach-by-the-way” doctrine. It is found in the D&C in sections 52, and again in 58. He told us that the Lord puts people around us so that we can influence them. He has prepared them and all we have to do is open our mouths. He told several stories of where missionaries had great experiences by talking to every one they met. I hope we can use this principle on our mission.

We went to dinner with Rich and Kathy Lund Thursday night. It was good to catch up with old friends. We got to go to Sizzler. That was one of the things we wanted to do when we came to Utah.

We went to the temple last night. Everyone kept saying that it would be so crowded. We went over after class and got right into a 6 o'clock session. I think there were fewer people at the temple because there was a BYU football game at the stadium which was at the same time. I wish I could keep that feeling with us for the 18 months we will be gone. I have never felt so much joy. I know there will be problems, but for today, I am thrilled to wear the name tag and be called a missionary. I doubt we will convert thousands like Ammon in the Book of Mormon, or like Dan Jones in Wales from early church history, but I do hope we will be able to influence some to come to Christ.

There was a couple who spoke to us in the MTC yesterday. Brother and Sister Tree have served 4 senior missions: Tahiti, Indian service mission, New Zealand , and Tahiti again. They told amazing stories of success. I don’t want to be prideful and hope for myself.....but to think of the families, children, grandchildren, and generations that will be saved because of their service is too amazing to describe.

Right before we left Alaska the mountains were turning colors and the trees were losing their leaves, and we knew Fall was right around the corner. When we came to Utah we loved the 80 degree weather, walking each day in our shorts. Just the last few days the air has turned nippy and we look up and see the red colors in the mountains here. I guess it is time for us to move on towards the warmer days, the blue Atlantic, and the white beaches. We could get used to leaving the snow behind and enjoying warmer winters.

As Erin said in her cute email.... Hoorah for Israel
See the red up the mountain.

This is one of our teachers at the MTC. We loved him because of his huge smile every day. Does he not remind you of Scotty Clayton.....always smiling.